It has become a landmark of sorts in Rainier. Although not on the main highway now, Beck's Lumber is used constantly as a reference point, but even more so as the only place to go for construction materials of all sorts.
Beck's Lumber was established in 1945 by George Beck on Highway 30 on the east side of town. In the early 1950s, Beck bought "The only flat land in Rainier," said Lawrence "Buzz" Beck, George's son.
At that time, the waterfront came up to the back of the businesses on the north side of A Street, with most of those buildings built on pylons, as was the original lumber yard. The land that is now a part of Rainier, the flat land where the new condominiums are going up, where the post office and Sentry is, did not exist.
That whole section of Rainier was created due to dredge spoils, creating a whole new land mass, but in early 1950s, there was a cliff where just below the river ran. The only available flat land was up on the hill of B Street, which had been a pasture owned by James Jessee, the city's first police officer. Jessee sold the land to Beck for his location.
The new lumber yard opened in 1957, and although cosmetic changes and additions have occurred on the structure, it has remained a constant in the lives of those in Rainier. Currently the store is run by Buzz and his wife Alice Beck.
Rainier citizens are not the only ones who depend on Beck's. "We have people who come in from Cathlamet and Puget Island," Alice said. "We had one customer in from Kalama when our sign was down. She walked in and asked if it was Beck's Lumber and she was relieved to find us. Most of our trade is that way, by word mouth."
Buzz has been on the company payroll since 1945. An entry in the original ledger shows his salary at $5. "But in those days, I could work for my father," Buzz said. "I did even through college, coming back on weekends to help out."
He went on to say that today he can't hire the youngsters as they used to do because of the labor laws. "I could run the saws, and so did our children. But not today," he said.
Over the years, the Becks have amassed a ton of stories and memories while serving the community with their business.
"We used to have to pick up our merchandise down at the railroad, "Buzz said. "It was all hand unloaded from the rail cars, then loaded in the back of the truck and hauled to the yard then unloaded and stacked again. Depending upon what it is you were unloading and loading, it could be very heavy and time consuming.
"One time Dad was out of town, and I came upon a deal for a used forklift. So I bought it and did I ever catch it from Dad. He thought I was getting lazy. A year later when it broke down, he said I should have bought a better one," he said.
Both Alice and Buzz grew up in the area, Buzz in Prescott and Alice in Rainier. They have seen Rainier grow, along with the traffic.
"We used to go up on the bridge, stop, take a picture or look around, and then turn around on the bridge and come back," Alice laughed. Today that would be close to a suicidal mission with the heavy traffic that plies the bridge.
"We used to be on the main highway, before the dredge spoils made up the land that is Highway 30 now," she said. "People were worried about us when the highway opened, wondering how we were going to survive without being on the highway," she laughed. "We don't need to be on the highway, actually it is better for us this way."
"We used to have to stop traffic to allow a car to turn in here," Buzz said. "Sometimes people would have to go on by and turn around in order to be able to turn in. With the new highway, that all changed for the better."
The lumber yard is much more than that. There are also small bits of history laced with the working yard. A scale with the date of 1901 is still used to weigh nails, screws and other small items.
"One of our sales reps wanted to take it to the fair, because he knows of only one other in existence today," Alice said. "It has a price computer here on the top, but we don't sell anything for 2 cents a pound anymore, so that part is not of much use. But it still weighs perfectly." The pile of inspection stickers attest to that.
"We have never had a cash register," she said. "When we were still at the other yard, there were a lot of good restaurants on A Street. We would just walk out and go to lunch, leaving the doors unlocked. If someone came in and bought something, they just left a note."
The Becks run the same hours today as what they used to, five full days a week and only open a half day on Saturday and closed on Sunday.
"I guess we could go with the times and open all day Saturday and Sunday, but we figure that the family time is more important, not only for ourselves but our employees too," she said. "We could be busy all seven days, but that is not the most important thing."
One of the things the Becks most enjoy is the projects their customers come up with. "We have a great selection of hardwoods," Alice said.
Showing off their pile of exclusive woods, she spoke about the things their customers make. "We have a guy from Chehalis who makes bows, and he brought one in that he had finished," she said. "It was really beautiful. There are crafters who come in all the time to see what hardwoods we have in stock."
They both enjoy every day, with a new day bringing new things that happen. "We never know what will go on during the day, and it is a lot of fun," Alice said. Buzz agreed and they really enjoy what they do.
The most unique thing about shopping at Beck's is the personal service. They greet their customers by name, and help find even the smallest need. They are never too busy to help with either advice or locating a special item.
That is two things that are rare to find in large stores, but will probably continue to be an integral part of the business at Beck's as long as a Beck continues to operate the lumber yard, which looks to be a very long time. They are into their third generation of family members, with one son currently working with them.
With the 50-year milestone being passed this year, they now can set their sights on the 75th, and as future generations step in and take over down the road, the original concept of "a one-man lumber yard," as Buzz called it, should continue on serving the citizens of Rainier and beyond.
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